Submitting your work to the right markets

I know it's not easy for new writers to let go of their writing and send it into the cold world of publishing, but if you don't you'll never see your name as a byline. Some people are afraid of rejection, so their desire to be published wars with their desire to be published. For many, this leads to avoidance. Others just aren't sure where to submit. Searching out the right market is a big part of the submission process, and then making sure your piece is in line with the market's submission guidelines is another important part of the process.

Check the writer's guidelines

Every market has their own set of writing guidelines. If you have a market, publication or publisher in mind, you can find their submission guidelines on their website. If you can't find them, use the search tool. Type in "guidelines" and that should bring you to what you need. These guidelines work as a writing style guide. They offer information from how to format your document, to how much the market pays. If your new to searching for markets I'm happy to tell you there are some handy resources to help you out. One of the best is, Writer's Write. Here you'll find a wide-range of submission guidelines from publications seeking short story submissions, poetry submissions, nonfiction articles, manuscripts and they even offer writing contests links at times. The site is easy to navigate, and they even offer a link for paying market listings to help narrow your focus. 

As you look for markets, know your genre. If you write flash fiction, you can search for "flash fiction submission guidelines" in your browser. Be specific. It will help cut the time you spend browsing for markets. And as you check the guidelines be sure to see if they accept simultaneous submissions. If they do, you can submit the same piece to multiple markets at the same time. If not, you have a choice. Submit and wait to hear from them or look for a different market. If it takes six months, you can't submit elsewhere.  And if you receive a rejection, it can feel like a waste of time. That is not truly the case, it is part of the process, but something you'll want to weigh as you pour over a variety of guidelines deciding who will have the privilege of  reading your work. 

Include a brief cover letter

Be sure to include a brief cover letter and author bio with your submission. If you are unsure how to put this letter together, it's a good idea to pick up a book like The Ultimate Query Letter Tool Kit or How to Write Attention-Grabbing Query & Cover Letters.

 

Today's Writing Prompt

Today's prompt is a bit different. Choose a piece you've already written. Polish it up. Take the risk and submit. It's part of life as a writer. I know several people who love to write but never submit. Writing is meant to be shared. Don't let fear of rejection stop you from submitting.

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Learning to show and not tell comes with practice. I’ll never forget the first time I shared some of my work for critique. Truth be told it scared me. When I hit “post” and I knew others could read it, my emotions went on a wild roller coaster ride. Excited. Yes, excited. For more than one reason. First of all, I had something to post. I had blossoming characters I cared about. The main character had layers of personal struggles and one close friend. But fear tempered my excitement. I feared people wouldn’t like my writing. Might even tell me something worse than that…like I wasn’t a writer at all. I know it sounds silly, but putting your writing out there for others to read isn’t easy. It’s often a roadblock for writers who hide their stories away unsubmitted in files on their computer never to be read by another human. This is worse than writer's block!

 

Waiting for feedback

Waiting for feedback gave way to worry. Again, I worried it would be torn to shreds by criticism. But then I came full circle and reminded myself that I did like the story, and I thought others would too. Not everyone, but out there, others would like the story. Around and around my emotions whisked me along a path where self-doubt and self-confidence collided.

Finally, feedback came. All the people who offered their critiques did it with kindness. They let me know what they liked. The strong elements. That just thrilled me. People said the story held promise. But along with all the positive feedback, what many of them said in one way or another was it would be even better if I told less and showed more.

I admit I didn’t like hearing that. I thought I was showing. With my defensive hackles raised, I went back to my story and reread it. I didn’t see “the telling” they were seeing. I picked up Stephen King’s On Writing, and it taught me a lot and I gained a deeper understanding of the meaning of show don't tell. The critiques did me a favor by being honest. It helped me grow as a writer.

 

Take a risk -- submit your work

Over time, I started submitting my work knowing that rejections come way more often than acceptances. I didn’t let it stop me. If I didn’t submit it, I knew for sure it would not be published. And when accepted! Wow! You had to scrape me off the ceiling to get me back down to earth. I have to tell you; acceptances don’t get old. I’m excited every time.

 

Today’s Writing Prompt

With all that said, today’s writing prompt is a different type of writing exercise. Instead of writing something new, you will share something you’ve already written with someone else in one of the following ways:

• With a writing group (this can be virtual or in-person)
• Take a class that allows you to share your work with peers
• Check writer’s guidelines for a suitable market and submit something you’ve already written for publication
• Attend a writer’s conference that provides critiques

Don’t panic. You've already done the hard part. You wrote it! You can do this. Submit your work!

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Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites. Thanks so much for being part of our success.

 

 

First Sentence

I received good news from one of my Pumping Your Muse Prompts followers. She has had a story accepted! The only way to have a story published is to write and submit! Congratulations Amy

Pumping Your Muse Prompt:

Today we have a first sentence prompt. Use it as the first sentence of a short story. This one can take all kinds of directions. Have fun.

First sentence: Angela wanted to cry.

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Check out my latest interview at Stories That Read You.And my 4 star review at Teens Read Too!

Let's start a new page

 As the calendar turns over to a new year it's easy to look back as a writer and say you didn't do enough. Don't get bogged down in the past. Look forward to the New Year. Let's start a new page! 

 Today's writing prompt - Start a new page

Today's PYM prompt is going to take a new direction. I want you to sit down and write out a list of what you want to accomplish as a writer this year. Do you want to finish that book you've been working out for a few years? Write it down. Want to get published? What will it take. The key is to write goals that are measurable and that you have control over. Wanting to get published is more a wish. You don't have control over whether your writing is accepted and published, but you do have control over whether you are submitting for publication. So your goal should be more along the lines of "submit something once a month for publication."

 

For your first draft write it all down. Everything on your mind. Then go back and look at what is attainable. What you want to accomplish most. Writing a book takes time and promoting a book takes time. If you're working full time it can be difficult to find the time to do any more than that. So set your priorities. The thing(s) you want to finish this year are your "A" goals. Mark things you'd really like to do but probably don't have time for as "B" goals. Mark the rest as "C" goals and eliminate them from this year's goals. Now you know what you really want to accomplish this year.

Take those "A" goals and write down what it will take to accomplish those goals. These will become your monthly goals for the year. Such goals may be things like setting aside writing time each day. Maybe even specify how much time you plan to set aside. Or things like researching writing markets for story ideas to target specific markets for publication.

Start this year with new hope. Make a plan. Give yourself something to aim at to reach your writing dreams.

Mother's Day Special from the Heart

One thing that's true. We all have a mother. What that means to each individual is different. In honor of Mother's Day, today's writing prompt is a story generator and the topic will be mothers.

Pumping Your Muse Prompt:

Set the timer for 10 minutes. Sit down with a sheet of paper and make a list. Write down memory snippets, whatever comes to mind with the word mother. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

Mom
homemade cookies
making lunches
the ringer washer
folding diapers
rinsing diapers
chipping my front teeth and afraid to tell you
the time I said I hate you when I was seven
putting on plays and watching you laugh
cooking for family gatherings

This list is a short example to help you see exactly what I want you to do. Once you have your list, use it over the next couple of days to write a short story. If you get it polished enough, slip it into your Mother's Day card as a Mother's Day Special gift from the heart.

If you get it done, you can submit it to Cup of Comfort for Mothers, but the deadline is May 15. You can check out the details at my Anthology News and Reviews blog.

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Check out my latest interview at Stories That Read You.And my 4 star review at Teens Read Too!

Edit Your Writing Prompt

As much as we enjoy the creative process, it's not always fun. Editing our writing is work that makes it better. Today's prompt requires a scene you've already created. Find one you like. Now read through it and as you do circle passive verbs. including thee words that redirect your action:

• could
• noticed
• can
• will
• heard

For example, if you say a character heard a noise, instead of TELLING they heard it, let the reader hear what the character hears.

Also identify vague words. These words water down the imagery in your writing. They include words like:

• some
• all
• most
• many
• more
• enough
• several
• fewest
• fewer
• few
• very
• really
• good
• a lot
• still.

Once you identify these words, rewrite the piece. And what the heck, why not look for a market and submit it!

See what you say

Today's writing prompt is about words. Words can hurt, but they can encourage. They can mislead, or they can guide. They can cause harm, or they can nurture. They can also be spoken without thinking! Imagine how much more you'd think before you spoke if your words showed on your skin!

via me.me

Today's writing prompt For today's creative writing prompt place your character in a situation where the words they use appear on their skin for all to see. Exactly how or why this works will be up to your creativity, and be sure to show the consequences.

A few more writing prompts to help your muse along:

• Start the scene without the character knowing his/her words are showing.
• Show when he or she becomes aware that they are wearing their words. 
• Once they become aware, how does it change their behavior?
• Does the character try to cover up what's been said? If so how? And why?
• Does this happen to all characters or just to one and why?
• Is their a solution? 
• What does the character learn through the experience?

Once you have this scene written, let it set for a day or two and then develop it into a short story with a beginning, middle and end. Then look for a writing market and submit! 

About The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions. 

 

The Inheritance is available on Kindle, paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction), Smashwords and Google Books. When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support. 

 

About Dragonborn by Donna Sundblad

Dragonborn conjures up a winning fantasy with dragons, humans, time travel, and magic. Follow the journey of the young prisonguard, Ervig Greenfields, as he seeks out dragons to remove a curse. The dragons offer him access to the Labyrinth of Times, which will purge the dark magic. But there’s a catch. Erving must take the Dragon Oath that requires allegiance--to fight alongside dragons for centuries, never to return to his own time. He and a handful of others take the selfless oath and become Dragonborn. The Dragonborn and their dragons become seeds of change, in this epic tale, of sacrifice for the greater good. Ride along with them as they slip through a tear in time to the past to change the future.

Dragonborn is available on Kindle, paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction), Smashwords Apple and Google Books. When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support.

Bathrobe

Write a scene involving a bathrobe and one or more of the following:

rose petals

a pipe

newspaper

sticky lock

big toe

Choose a piece you've already written. Polish it up and submit.

Donna
Check out more articles and classes on writing at the Inspired Author

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